Single Rural Houses Wicklow County Council
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WICKLOW COUNTY COUNCIL SINGLE RURAL HOUSES DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR NEW HOMES IN RURAL WICKLOW This rural house design guide is intended to provide guidance to prospective developers of single dwellings in rural Wicklow. The following information and illustrations are non-prescriptive and are general in nature; the guide does not provide a definitive ‘list’ of all dwelling styles or features that may be granted permission; nor does it set out all planning considerations relevant to an application for a single rural house. It is intended to be utilised as a tool to assist potential applicants, architects, landscape architects and planning agents in the areas of site selection, house positioning, layout and house design. As this guide is principally concerned with house design and layout issues, it does not provide guidance on on-site effluent disposal FOREWORD systems, water supply and entrance / road safety requirements. With respect to on-site water services, developments will be required to comply with Wicklow County Council’s “Policy for wastewater treatment and disposal systems for single houses (PE ≤ 10)” which is available on the County Council’s website and the applicable Drinking Water Regulations. While this guide will address the aesthetics of entrance design, with respect to road safety standards, such as required sightlines, the most up to date road design manuals should be consulted. CONTENTS SITE SELECTION 01 Choosing where to build HOUSE POSITION & SITINg Principles of good siting, 02 managing contours, rural infill HOUSE DESIgN Principles of good rural design, 03 scale, height, format, roof style, dormers, windows & materials ANCILLARIES Boundaries, entrance design, 04 landscaping, outbuildings, energy efficiency, extensions & conversions APPENDICES Acknowledgements, Photo & 05 Design accreditation INTRODUCTION The overriding objective when considering building a house in rural Wicklow is to protect and conserve the beautiful landscape and environment we have inherited from other generations. The key to this is site selection and site layout, and the house should be absorbed as much as possible by the landscape, and this should be helped by landscaping. The house type and design also has an important impact. Thus houses that do not fit into the landscape due to their scale, unusual design features, colour, or materials that are non-traditional to that particular area will tend to stand out in close up and far distant views. Likewise boundary features and site entrances can add to the visual intrusion, and even landscaping with non-native species will cause a development to stick out in the general landscape. The following paragraphs are to give guidance, but should always be read in the context that the overall design and siting should leave as small a trace on the landscape as possible. 0201 SITE SELECTION 01 CHOOSING WHERE TO BUILD All new developments will be required to be sited in such a way that allows them to blend into the landscape and not form an overly visible or strident feature on the landscape. Therefore site selection is the most critical step in rural house design. Some sites, for a variety of reasons, may not be suitable for house building and even a well considered and designed house may not be permissible. Where no site choice is available, it cannot be assumed that permission will be granted solely on the grounds that the applicant has a bona fide necessity to live at that location. When selecting a site, the following criteria must be considered: • The openness and visibility of the site in the surrounding landscape, the sensitivity or vulnerability of the landscape to new development and the existence of protected views or prospects in the area. In these regards, prominent and exposed sites should be avoided as well as those that would impinge on a protected landscape or view. Applications in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be required to be accompanied by a Visual Impact Assessment (more information on VIA is found in pages to follow); Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Glendasan mining village, Wicklow • Impacts on any other properties or dwellings – cognisance must be taken of potential impacts on existing proximate dwellings, particularly overlooking and overshadowing; • The possibility of clustering the new development with other houses or manmade structures; however, care needs to be taken to avoid over-development in any location or ‘ribbon development’ ; Avoid ribbon development, an almost continuous road frontage type development, where 5 or more houses exist on any one side of a given 250 metres of road frontage. • The existence of heritage features on or near the site, such as protected habitats or archaeological features. A buffer zone between such features and any new development may be required, the extent of which will depend of the feature to be protected; Avoid building in prominent open areas, or areas of protected views or landscapes. * = Undesirable design approach = Recommended design approach Proposals within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty may be required to be accompanied by a Visual Impact Assessment. In other landscape areas, the planning authority may require the submission of a Visual Impact Assessment, where a proposed development is likely to affect a particularly scenic or sensitive landscape. A Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) should include the following: - An evaluation of the visibility and the prominence of the proposed development in its immediate environs and in the wider landscape; this assessment should include the erection of profiles of the house and / or the production of photomontages of the proposed development from clearly identified vantage points - An evaluation of impacts on any listed views / prospects and an assessment of vegetation / land cover type in the area (with particular regard to commercial forestry plantations which may be felled thus altering character / visibility). 02 HOUSE POSITION & SITINg 02 READING THE LANDSCAPE New houses shall be suitably positioned on site to make maximum use of screening available either from the land form itself or from existing tree cover. Positioning in a sheltered location not only aids visual integration in the landscape, but also provides benefits to the house in terms of protection from the elements and improved privacy. PRINCIPLES OF GOOD SITING: Houses shall not be above a ridgeline or so positioned to break the Houses located in the middle of sites / fields, distant from boundaries will skyline or to appear highly visible or dominant in the landscape; not be considered acceptable – houses should be ‘tucked into’ existing field boundaries; The house should be positioned to maximise daylight and solar gain – 30% energy savings can be achieved if the house is oriented within 15° of south, provided its main living areas are arranged to avail of passive solar gains (refer to the ‘Development & Design Standards’ of the Wicklow County Development Plan); 03 Avoid houses breaking the skyline. 15° 15° SUNPATH winter winter winter 04 summer summer summer Passive design angled towards the sun with large openings to maximise solar gain. A MANAgINg CONTOURS On sloping sites, houses will normally be required to be built into the slope of the site, so that the finished floor level of the house is not more than 0.15m above the existing ground level to the front of the house. However, deep excavations should also be avoided as these in themselves B can cause a scar on the landscape. Where steeply sloping sites cannot be avoided, design solutions must be considered to minimise the impact, including for example the use of stepped or split level housing. IMAgES OF MANAGING CONTOURS: A C On sloping sites, the principal axis of the house should ideally have stepped floor levels reflecting the contours. B Where excavation cannot be avoided, narrow plan houses with minimised cut and fill are recommended. Excavated soil can be redistributed as naturalistic landscape mounds. C D Avoid deep plan over scaled houses set on large platforms with urban planting schemes. D Avoid unsuitable dwelling styles with parking to the front. Absence of natural planting with excavated soil not graded to suit site contours. RURAL INFILL Where the proposed development site currently forms part of the site C of an existing dwelling (i.e. it is proposed to subdivide an existing plot), the following considerations must be taken on board: A The site must be large enough to comfortably accommodate the existing and additional house(s) and their associated facilities such as independent gardens, car parking, effluent disposal facilities etc. B i) The new house(s) should be so positioned on site to have a ‘relationship’ with the existing structures. ii) In this regard, the end result should not be two (or more) distinct houses sitting at the opposite ends of the same site or a new house directly behind an existing one. iii) Consideration must be given to clustering or the creation of courtyard type development, reminiscent of a vernacular farmstead layout. C The new house should not result in adverse impacts on the amenities (e.g privacy, light) of adjacent properties. B i) B ii) B iii) main road Site divided by hedging creating two distinct spaces. Shared courtyard. 05 HOUSE DESIgN 03 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS High quality design will be required for all sites and the design of any house will be required to be developed taking cognisance of the site location and characteristics and prevalent style of dwellings in the area; however, this does not mean that a poor house design will be considered because similar inappropriate designs have been permitted in the same area in the past. Designs lifted from another site and from a formulaic ‘pattern book’ will not be accepted, nor will poor historical imitations. Designs should reflect traditional rural house design form and concepts, but contemporary interpretations of traditional styles are acceptable where the site can accommodate and suitably absorb the design.